Adjustable vehicle lift



Oct. 18, 1960 R. w. GREEN ADJUSTABLE VEHICLE LIFT 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1958 3 n. WWA-Vl FIG.

INVENTOR.

'RICHARD W. GREEN Oct. 18, 1960 R. w. GREEN 2,956,644

ADJUSTABLE VEHICLE LIFT Filed Feb. 4, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 2 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

R/QHARD w. GREEN Byyw www I United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE VEHICLE LIFT Richard W. Green, Shelby County, Tenn., assignor to Dover Corporation, Washington, D.C.

Filed Feb. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 713,157

2 Claims. (Cl. IS7-8.49)

This invention relates, in general, to vehicle lifts and, in particular, relates to vehicle lifts of the type in which is provided an assembly shiftably mounted for upward and downward travel, with said assembly including a plunger having a superstructure at the upper end thereof and including a pipe or so-called non-rotator arranged at one side of the plunger for upward and downward movement in a stationary cylinder to prevent rotation of the assembly.

In vehicle lifts of the above-mentioned type, there is a need for lifts which can be selectively set at various upper limits of travel of the assembly. For example, the usual upper limits of travel of lifts having two wellknown particular types of superstructures are as follows: approximately 60 inches for the roll-on type of superstructure in which the wheels of the vehicle are carried by two runways, and approximately 66 inches for the frame pick-up type of superstructure in which the superstructure contacts the frame of the vehicle for the lifting thereof. It will be understood that the reason for the diierence in the upper limits of travel between lifts having these two types of superstructures is due to the difference in the points of pick-up of the superstructures-one being at the bottom of the wheels and the other being at the frame of the vehicle, the latter being at a higher position than the former. Thus, to raise a vehicle to a particular height using the frame pick-up type of superstructure would require a longer travel of the plunger as compared with the travel of the plunger to pick up a vehicle to the same height when the roll-on type is used.

It is particularly advantageous to have a single lift which can be changed in its limits of maximum upward travel, as, for instance, in the example cited above, it is advantageous to have a lift which can be changed from a 60-inch limit of upward travel to a 66inch limitV or from a 66inch limit to a 60-inch limit. Thus, with such a changeable lifting mechanism a personV having a rollon type of superstructure could convert to the frame pick-up type and vice versa without having to purchase an entire new unit and needs only to change the superstructure and set the assembly to the desired maximum limit of travel. In addition, the manufacturing advantages can readily be appreciated in being able to supply one type of basic mechanism which may be made into either the frame pick-up or roll-on type mechanism by adding the desired superstructure.

Therefore, one of the important objects of the present invention is to provide in a vehicle lift a means for changing the maximum limit of upward travel thereof.

A further object is to provide such means which is easily accessible for the changing thereof.

A further object is to provide safety means for preventing accidental lowering of the assembly from the particular upper limit selected.

A further object is to provide in vehicle lifts of the above-mentioned type a combined upper limit of travel setting means and safety means, in which the safety means is automatically provided for in each of the upper limits selected.

A further object is to provide in such a vehicle lift vertically-spaced ledges respectively disposed adjacent Said pipe, stop means mounted on said pipe, said stop means being arranged to co-act with said ledges to permit free upward movement of said pipe and limit downward movement thereof when said stop means contacts one of said ledges during downward movement of the pipe, adjustable abutment means coupled to said assembly for stopping the assembly in selected upper limits of travel, the relationship of said abutment means and said stop means being such that when said assembly is stopped in said selected upper limits of travel said stop means is disposed above one of said ledges to act as a safety stop for preventing substantial lowering of the assembly from the particular upper limit of travel selected.

A further object is generally to improve the design and construction of vehicle lifts.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view of a vehicle lift constructed in accordance with the present invention with parts broken away and with certain portions thereof being shown in elevation for purposes of clarity and showing the lift set at one particular upper limit of travel.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary portion of the device shown in Fig. 1 but showing the lift set in an upper limit of travel higher than that of Fig. l. Y

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the device but showing the lift set in a still higher upper limit of travel.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of a portion of Figl l with parts broken away for purposes of illustration.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged sectional view of the sleeve taken as on the line V-V of Fig. 4, but with the pipe removed from the sleeve.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sleeve of the present invention with a portion thereof cut away for purposes of clarity.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the present invention is shown in connection with a fluid-operated lift, which is indicated by numeral 10 and which comprises an upright casing 11 adapted to be embedded in concrete or the like, as best shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and a plunger 13 shiftably mounted in bearings 14 in the case for upward and downward movement under the influence of uid introduced into the lift. The fluid system for lifting plunger 13 is not shown in detail since it forms no part of the present invention and may be of any type. In the particular type shown, however, it is contemplated that oil be pumped under pressure into casing 1v1, thereby causing the plunger to rise, and when it is desired to lower the plunger the pressure is relieved.

Lift 10 further includes packing provided adjacent the upper end of casing 11 as at 15 to prevent oil from escaping between plunger 13 and casing 11. Additionally, a superstructure 17 is mounted adjacent the upper end of plunger 13, superstructure 17 being the portion of the lift which contacts the vehicle during the lifting thereof.

in addition, lift 1) includes a hollow pipe y19 arranged at one side of plunger 13 in spaced relationshipl therewith. Pipe 19 is removably attached adjacent the upper end thereof to superstructure 17 and depends therefrom. A hollow cylinder 21 is embedded in concrete or the like below pipe 19 and in alignment therewith so that the pipe is received in the cylinder for telescopic movement therein. It should be noted that plunger 13, superstructure 17, and pipe 19 form a rigid assembly 22, the parts of which move together in upward and downward movement. Further, it should be noted that pipe 19, by being received in cylinderjZl, prevents rotation of assembly 22, which rotation would otherwise occur aboutv the vertical axis of plunger 13 if pipe 19 were removed.

A plurality of vertically-spaced ledges are iixedly established; adjacentpipe 19. Said ledges are preferably so establishedby means of a hollowl sleevel 25 in the following manner; Sleevev ZSenirclespipe 19 and includes a cylindricalbody portion 27 spaced from pipe 1 9 as at 2.9 and. 3 1..V Sleeve. 25 extends inwardly towards pipe.. 1.9 adiaeentthe upper Part: thereof to provide atl4 annular upper ledge, '33. Also, sleeve 25 extends inwardly towards pipe 19. at a place spaced below upper ledge 33 to provide an annular intermediate ledge 35. Additionally, sleeve 25 extends inwardly towards pipe 19 adjacent the lower part of the sleeve to provide an annular lower ledge 37. Sleeve Z additionally includes a flange 39 extending outwardly from cylindrical body portion 27 adjacent the upper end thereof. In addition, sleeve 25 includes a lug 41 extending outwardly from cylindrical body portion 27 adjacent the upper end thereof but spaced below ilange 39 and includes a lug 43 similar to lug41 and disposed on the opposite side of cylindrical body portion 27 from lug 41. From the foregoing, it will be understood that said ledges include upper ledge 33, intermediate ledge 35, and lower ledge 37, with upper ledge 33 and intermediate ledge 35 being separated by the space 29 and with intermediate ledge 35 and lower ledge 37 being separated by the space 31,

Cylinder 21 is preferably, though not necessarily, of a two-piece construction kwith the upper part thereof comprising a hollow cylindrical head 45 attached as at 49 to the upper end of the main body of cylinder 21 as by welding or the like. The interior of head 45 is enlarged adjacent the upper end thereof to provide an enlarged bore 51 into which extends a lip 53 adjacent the upper part of head 45 and integrally formed therewith on one side thereof and into which bore extends an additional lip 55 similar in construction to lip 53 and disposed on the opposite side of head 45 from lip 53.

In the normal in place position of sleeve 25, the sleeve is disposed in the upper end of cylinder 21 with pipe 19 extending through the sleeve and with lugs 41, 43 respectively disposed under lips 53, 55 to hold the sleeve in the disposition best shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The width of lugs 41, 43 and the width of the spacing between lips 53, 55 are such that the sleeve may be rotated a quarter of a turn so that lugs 41, 43 are in vertical alignment with the spaces between lips 53, 55 whereby the sleeve may then be Withdrawn upward from cylinder 21 to remove the sleeve in order to adjust the upper limit of travel of the lift ina manner as will be hereinafter apparent.

Stop means is mounted on pipe 19 and arranged to co-act with ledges 33, 35, and 37 to permit free upward movement of the pipe and limit downward movement thereof when the stop means contacts one of the ledges during downward movement of the pipe. The construction of said stop means is preferably as follows: A dog 59 is pivotally mounted from the interior of pipe 19 as at 61. Dog 59 is spring-loaded-that is to say, a spring 63 extends between a seat 65 and an arm 67, the seat being xedly mounted from pipe 19 and the arm forming an upwardly extending part of dog 59. Dog 59 is urged counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 4 by spring 63 towards the extended position shown in this figure, in which position a portion of the dog extends through a slot in` pipe 19. The portion of the dog extending through the slot includes a downwardly and outwardly sloping portion 69 adjacent the upper part of the dog and a. heel portion 71 adjacent the lower part thereof. Whenv dog 59 is in said extended position, the lower edge 72 of heel 71 projects outward at a substantially 90-degree angle relative to the side of pipe 19. An integrally-formed toe 73 depends from the inner lower portion. 0f dos 59,.l whihV tde. ahnte an ear 75` ixedly.

mounted from pipe 19 so that counter-clockwise movement of the dog is limited to stop the dog in said extended position. Additionally, dog 59 is provided with a projection 77 on the opposite side of the dog from sloping portion 69 and heel 71. The lower end of a rod 79 is connected to projection 77 as by a horizontally extending bent end portion 81 of the rod extending throughfaslot 83 in projection 77. The upper end of rod 79 is attached to the inner arm 85 of a lever 87 as by a horizontally extending bent end portion 88 of the rod extending through an aperture in the inner arm. Lever S7 is pivotally mounted as at 89 from a support 91 tixedly mounted in pipe 19. An outer arm 93 of lever 87 is disposed in a slot in pipe 19 and in a position so that the lever may be rotated by hand clockwise as viewed in Fig. l, which causes upward movement of rod 79 and inward movement of dog 59 to a retracted position in which position the dog does not extend outwardly beyond pipe 19.

Abutment means is attached to plunger 13 for stopping assembly 22 in an upper limit of travel. Said abutment means comprises a collar 97 lixedly attached adjacent the lower end of plunger 13 which is adapted to abut the lower one of bearings 14 to limit upward movement of the plunger. Additionally, adjustable abutment means is attached to pipe 19 for stopping assembly 22 in selected upper limits of travel. Said adjustable abutment means preferably includes a ring 99 which encircles pipe 19 and is s lidably received thereon for movement into selected fixed vertical positions on the pipe. Two of such selected fixed vertical positions are shown in the drawings although it will be understood that more positions may be provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In Fig. l is shown the ring 99 in a rst xed position, in which position the ring is held as by means of a pin 101 extending through an aperture in the ring and into a transverse bore 103 in pipe 19. Fig. 2 shows ring 99 in a second lixed position in which the ring is disposed at a position on pipe 19 which is lower than the position shown in Fig. l. The ring is held in said second position by pin 101 extending through a second transverse bore 105 in the pipe. It will be understood that ring 99 may be changed from one position to the other simply by removing pin 101, sliding the ring to the selectedrposition, and again inserting pin 101 through the transverse bore 103 or 105 at the position selected. Additionally, it will be-understood that ring 99 is adapted to abut the lower end of sleeve 25 to limit upward movement of assembly 22. It should be noted at this point that, although said adjustable abutment means is shown herein in the preferred embodiment as a ring 99 attached to pipe 19 as by a pin 101, it is not intended that the abutment means be so limited but may be constructed in other forms and with other means of attachment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

When ring 99 is disposed in said first position shown in Fig. 1, it will be understood that assembly 2 2 will be stopped in an upper limit of travel which is at a lower height than the upper limit of travel when ring 99 is disposed in said secondposition shown in Fig. 2. Additionally, it will be understood that ring 99 may be removed entirely from pipe 19, in which case collar 97 abuts the lower one of bearings 14 to stop assembly 22 in its upper limit of travel, which upper limit of travel is shown in Fig. 3 and which is a higher upper limit of travel than that shown in Figs. l and 2.

The relationship of ring 99 and dog 59 when the ring is in said first position shown in Fig. l is such that when the ring is stopped by the lower end of sleeve 25, as shown in this figure, the dog will be disposed in spacing 31 just above lower ledge 37. By being so disposed, it will be understood that the dog acts as a safety st op to. prevent. accidentallowering-of plunger 13, as, for example, when the uid pressure against the plunger is accidentally relieved. Thus, if the pressure were to be relieved, assembly 22 would be substantially held in said first position, being allowed only a slight downward movement until dog 59 contacts lower ledge 37.

The relationship of ring 99 and dog 59 when the ring is in said second position shown in Fig. 2 is such that when the ring contacts the lower end of sleeve 25 the dog is disposed in spacing 29 just above intermediate ledge 35 so that the dog is positioned to act as a safety stop for the assembly in the same manner as heretofore described for said first position, only in this case the assembly will be limited in downward movement by dog 59 contacting ledge 35.

The relationship of collar 97 and dog 59 is such that when ring 99 is removed and the collar abuts the lower one of bearings 14 as shown in Fig. 3 the dog is disposed just above upper ledge 33 so that the dog acts in the same manner as a safety stop at this particular upper limit of travel, with downward movement of the assembly being limited by dog 59 contacting ledge 33.

In the operation of the device of the present invention, it will be understood that the operator may simply and easily change the upper limit of travel of assembly 22. He may do this by first removing sleeve 25 from cylinder 21 in a manner as heretofore described, removing pipe 19 from superstructure 17, and withdrawing the pipe from cylinder 21. Next, ring 99 is selectively set at the desired position to obtain the desired upper limit of travel of the assembly as heretofore described. Then the reverse of this procedure is ycarried out to reassemble sleeve 25, pipe 19, and cylinder 21.

In the operation of the device during upward movement of assembly 22 from a depressed position, it will be understood that dog 59 will be depressed inwardly by the ledges 33 and 35 to allow the pipe 19 to continue in its upward movement; and when the dog passes each of the ledges, spring 63 forces the dog outwardly into said extended position. The lower portion of ledges 33 and 35 are respectively sloped as at 107 and 109 to facilitate the depression of dog 59. When the operator desires to lower assembly 22, the outer arm 93 of lever 87 is pulled downwardly to retract dog 59 so that the dog may pass ledges 33 and 35 during downward movement of pipe 19.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that a unique means is provided for changing the upper limit of travel of the assembly. Additionally, it is apparent that the changes in the upper limits of travel may be accomplished quickly and easily without having to remove the plunger. In addition, it is apparent that by the structure of the present invention safety means for each of the upper limits of travel is automatically provided.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited since changes and modifications may be made therein which are within the full intended scope of this invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

l. In a vehicle lift of the type comprising an assembly shiftably mounted for upward and downward travel, said assembly including a plunger and a pipe arranged at one side of the plunger for upward and downward movement in a stationary cylinder into which said pipe is telescopically received; a sleeve mounted in the upper end of said cylinder and surrounding said pipe, said sleeve extending inwardly towards said pipe at verticallyspaced intervals to provide vertically-spaced annular ledges adjacent said pipe, a spring-loaded dog mounted on said pipe, said dog having an outwardly projecting heel portion adjacent the lower part thereof and said dog being tapered adjacent the upper part thereof whereby upward movement of said pipe causes said dog to be depressed to pass said ledges and downward movement of said pipe is limited by said heel portion abutting one of said ledges, a ring attached to said pipe bellow said sleeve for engagement therewith to limit upward movement of said assembly, said ring being adjustable to selected fixed positions on said pipe for providing selected upper limits of travel of said assembly, the relationship of said ring when in said selected positions being such that when said ring engages said sleeve said dog is positioned just above one of said ledges to act as a safety stop for preventing substantial lowering of the assembly from the particular upper limit of travel selected, said sleeve having lug means provided on the exterior thereof, said cylinder having radially-spaced and inwardly-projecting lips, said sleeve being normally positioned so that said lug means are locked beneath said lips to prevent accidental removal of said sleeve from said cylinder, said sleeve being rotatable to a position in which said lug means are in alignment with the spaces between said lips whereby said sleeve may be upwardly withdrawn from said cylinder to permit access to said ring for changing the position thereof.

2. In a vehicle lift having a superstructure adapted to engage beneath a vehicle to be raised above a ground level, fluid actuated lifting means operatively connected to said superstructure for raising said superstructure, means for preventing rotation of said superstructure including a pipe element attached adjacent one end to said superstructure for movement therewith and a stationary cylinder element telescopically receiving said pipe element, a sleeve mounted in the upper end of said cylinder and surrounding said pipe, said sleeve extending inwardly towards said pipe at vertical-ly spaced intervals to provide vertically spaced annular ledges adjacent said pipe, a spring loaded dog mounted on said pipe, said dog having an outwardly projecting heel portion adjacent the lower part thereof and said dog being tapered adjacent the upper part thereof whereby upward movement of said pipe causes said dog to be depressed to pass said ledges and downward movement of said pipe is limited by said heel portion abutting one of said ledges, a ring attached to said pipe below said sleeve for engagement therewith to limit upward movement of said superstructure, said ring being adjustable to selected xed positions on said pipe for providing selected upper limits of travel of said superstructure, the relationship of said ring when in said selected positions being such that when said ring engages said sleeve said dog is automatically positioned just above the one of said ledges to act as an automatic safety stop for preventing substantial lowering of the superstructure from the particular upper limit of travel selected, said sleeve having lug means provided on the exterior thereof, said cylinder having radially-spaced and inwardly projecting lips, said sleeve being normally positioned so that said lug means are locked beneath said lips to prevent accidental removal of said sleeve from said cylinder, said sleeve being rotatable to a position in which said lug means are in alignment with the spaces between said lips whereby said sleeve may be upwardly withdrawn from said cylinder to permit access to said ring for changing the position thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 232,790 Wernert Sept. 28, '1880 493,111 Parsons Mar. 7, 1893 1,121,698 Weiss Dec. 22, 1914 1,630,870 Strunck May 31, 1927 2,201,189 Makaroif May 21, 1940 2,503,738 Horton Apr. 1l, 1950 2,594,531 Aikman Apr. 29, 1952 2,608,381 Pelovch Aug. 26, 1952 2,684,129 Iaseph July 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,299 Great Britain of 1899 

